In motor vehicles including internal combustion engines, a viscosity of the utilized fuel may have wide-reaching consequences for the internal combustion engine. This applies in particular to diesel and diesel engines.
For example, the viscosity may have an effect on a combustion of the fuel in the internal combustion engine or be relevant to a required predefined volume flow rate when metering fuel.
A method for detecting a change in a viscosity of a fuel is, for example, described in German Patent Application No. DE 10 2010 038 840 A1. In this case, jumps in the profile of an operating current of an electric fuel pump are ascertained which are based on a change in the delivery volume due to a change in the viscosity.